Very few eight year-olds in the Die Walküre audiences. In fact there are very few in the NYC Die Walküre audiences under 30 years old.
ML/NJ
That is true; my sons and I brought down the average age of attendees when we were at the Met or City Opera to about 67, from 70.
However, serious music, or even opera buffa, or jongleur music that WAS the entertainment of yesteryear had moral flaws or toilet humor. Even in the coarse culture of today, there are millions of kids playing violent video games....and yet violent crime rates are way down. Yes, reasonable parents should (and do) keep GTA away from their 13-yr old gamer, but I don't hear about shoot outs between upper class kids after 7 hours of online battle.
It is easy to bash the entertainer, or the media, or Madison Avenue. And where we think they are out of line, we SHOULD say something-witness the Kathy Griffin episode. Indeed, that's a shining example that harkens back to when civilization had a social structure (and backbone) that acted as the moral glue that filled in the cracks and crevices that the government dam (rightly) left in the hands of the people.
I submit to you that the degradation in out of wedlock birth statistics, divorce rates, and the like, have more to do with selfish parents and spouses than Madonna, Katy Perry, and Arianna Grande. Though those women may share some blame, it is easier to bash the tarts because they aren't our neighbors, friends, or family members...they are soft targets. Try telling one's cousin Bob on his 3rd wife that maybe his son Johnny is in rehab again because Bob is a narcissistic jackwagon ...THAT is hard but effective work, but we don't seem to do that much anymore.
Ms. Barnhardt does her best work when she speaks on economics and markets, because she is an expert. She should do a better job of researching pop culture before exposing her ignorance, and making those of us who MAY empathize look dumb by association.
Thanks again.